In the last two weeks, the media has been awash with stories on Alick Macheso and Sulumani's Chimbetu's "rivalry" after Macheso's band members left him to join Sulu and vice versa.

While a lot of people regarded this move as a normal step that a disgruntled employee will certainly make, the defection by Macheso band members to Sulu's camp was met with outrage and anger by both the media and several fans of the two musicians.

Some sections of the media were so outraged that they even said the decision by the trio - vocalist Elton Muropa, lead guitarist Noel Nyazanda and dancer Francis Dhaka aka Slomo - smacked on sheer disloyalty, malice and greed.

The level of agitation within media - which naturally was heightened by fans from both camps, prompted Minister of Information, Media and Publicity Cde Webster Shamu to call for a "crisis meeting" to try and solve the problems.

Minister Shamu, who is also the patron of the Zimbabwe Union of Musicians, last week held several meetings with members of the two bands together with the chairman of the Promoters' Association of Zimbabwe, Partson Chimboza.

However, the media was not privy to the details of the discussion.

In all fairness, there was no need for all the parties to hold a crisis meeting, where there was no crisis at all.

World over, band members, employees, soccer players and just about everyone, who earns their living working for an organisation, company or any body for that matter is free to cross the floor in search of greener pastures.

If that happens, can the whole exercise be described as a crisis?

For all what it is, the media stand accused of trying to hype on an imaginary feud, between Sulu and Macheso.

The fact that the trio left Macheso to join Sulu's band does not mean that the move was meant to destabilise and weaken Orchestra Mberikwazvo, which has become an unrivalled brand over the years.

Macheso's fans will attest that when they attend his shows, they don't do so specifically to watch Slomo dance, but to listen his music, and I can bet my bottom dollar that is the same at Sulu's shows. So why then should people rant and rave over some guy who has decided to earn his keep elsewhere?

The history of music in Zimbabwe clearly shows that musicians are a migrant lot, when it comes to their career development and remuneration.

There are a lot of musicians who got their wings to fly, having started off as mere backing vocalists in well-established bands.

Macheso himself started his career with Khiama Boys, which was fronted by Nicholas Zakaria known in the entertainment industry as Madzibaba.

Other people who were part of Khiama Boys during that time included Ephraim Joe, Fanuel aka System Tazvida, and they later formed their own bands, which did very well during their zenith days.

Well-known guitarists Innocent Mjintu started his career with Barura Express, under the tutelage of the late Leonard Dembo, before he left to join Macheso.

Realising that he needed to do be his own man, he left the sungura icon to form his own band, Zari.

Over the years, several musicians - like soccer stars - have crossed floors to join institutions and bands where they think that their needs are better taken care of.

And when that happens, there is no such hullabaloo, like we have seen in the media in the past few weeks.

It would be so unfair, for musicians, who because of their close and personal relations with the minister take him to task by forcing him to hold a crisis meeting over some petty house- keeping issues, when they are more serious problems within the same industry that need his attention.

In the last 10 years, Zimbabwe has watched hopelessly musicians dying as paupers, the spiralling piracy, and the emergence of fly-by-night recording companies that are fleecing artistes by coercing them to sign pathetic contracts.

In light of all these burning issues, lying in the face of the same artistes, why then should a few musicians, hold the minister to ransom and force him to mediate over trivialities, when real issues go unattended?

Why should the musicians squirm over the desertion of three adult breadwinners, who merely want to enhance their livelihood, at the expense of the advancement of the arts industry?

Ministers need to be engaged on serious matters that improve the welfare of their constituencies, rather than bog them down with trivial issues, that can be settled internally.

Both Macheso and Sulu are both adults, who can manage their affairs without the assistance of either the minister of the media, to assist them decide on what is good for their brands.

After all, Macheso has survived many coup d'etats to worry about the departure of Slomo and the whole bunch, and I know Sulu will soon learn that such occurrences are quite common, not only in showbiz, but everywhere